CLINTON, Iowa – The construction of a new $224 million Atlas Roofing Corp. plant in this community has hit the midway point of the project, company leaders say.
Work on the new asphalt shingle manufacturing plant began 17 months ago, and is currently scheduled to be done in 17 months. If all goes according to plan, the new Atlas plant will be completed in the summer of 2026, Atlas company leaders said.
“We’ve been pouring slabs, building tanks, setting rails, getting the equipment in place, and partnering with the local community,” according to an emailed update called “Construction Chronicles” released by Atlas on Monday, Jan. 27.
The project update outlines some of the construction phases that have been done or in progress including:
- All three flux tanks for the site have broken ground. These massive tanks measure 50 feet in diameter by 40 feet high, and are designed to store the raw material before it’s converted into asphalt. A flux tank operates at 300 to 500 degrees to keep the liquid asphalt ready for production.
- The plant’s foundation is set, with the entire building’s slab now poured.
- The steel for the building’s structure has also arrived and is set to go up in February.
- Outside the plant, the base layer of asphalt is down, with the final two layers set to roll out in the spring.
The “Construction Chronicles” update also announced several key hirings for the new Clinton manufacturer. Those hirings include: Lauren Beno, human resources manager; William Fairman, operations manager; and Daniel Escontrias, supply chain manager.
“What started as an empty field is now becoming a bustling site with poured slabs and constructed walls. Every day brings us closer to our plant’s commissioning in 2026,” according to the company’s update.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 23, 2023, on the site of the future plant in the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park. It will be on the south side of Highway 30, next to O.T. R. Tire Sales & Repair, and directly across the highway from the Clinton Municipal Airport.
Here are some of the plant’s specifics:
- Atlas will hire between 100 to 120 employees once the new plant is open.
- Wages are expected to begin at $19.57 an hour.
- The manufacturing plant is being built on 148 acres with the facility itself set to be at least 400,000 square feet.
- Once open, it is expected to make shingles and shingles accessories..
From a single asphalt shingle manufacturing facility in 1982, Atlas has grown to 33 manufacturing facilities in North America providing worldwide product distribution.
Today, products from the company’s four major divisions – Polyiso Roof and Wall Insulation; Shingle and Underlayment; Molded Products; and Web Technologies – are manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities and shipped to Atlas’ network of distribution facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Atlas Roofing Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hood Companies, Inc., a privately owned, closely held holding company. It is the parent to operating subsidiaries involved in the manufacture and distribution of forest and wood products, building and construction materials, and flexible and corrugated packaging products throughout North America.
